Oh Malaysia! Where Are You Heading

Many voters may be having afterthoughts of whether they had voted wrongly on the just concluded 12TH GE. There is not a single good news but tons of political rubbish, weak economy, petrol price hike, foolish or uneducated statements from leaders of both divides.

A very interesting posting by Michelle Yoon prompted me to pen this posting. You can read Michelle Yoon "Anwar, the media, and us" here.

I would like to add a little more about our media reporting.

A comment from Michelle Yoon posting:

Malaysia MSM workers is salary earner,so they need the green lights from their Paymaster.
This MSM is controlled by UMNO/MCA or a bit of mic.

Yes, although they are wage earners they must still follow the journalist profession and working ethics.

A search at Wikipedia mention the term journalist carries a connotation or expectation of professionalism in reporting, with consideration for truth, fairness, balance, decency and ethics - although standards can vary widely between publications. Many mass-market newspapers make no pretense at impartiality, though in countries such as the UK, they generally adhere to a voluntary code of conduct, with objectives such as maintaining truthfulness. Some editors argue that bias is impossible to avoid and that it is more honest to adopt an editorial opinion while ensuring that material is factually accurate.

Touching on Ethics in Journalism

Most journalists in the USA adhere to the standards and norms expressed in the Society of Professional Journalists ethical code.[1] Foremost in the minds of most practicing journalists is the issue of maintaining credibility, "Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility."

Journalism ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and of good practice as applicable to the specific challenges faced by professional journalists. Historically and currently, this subset of media ethics is widely known to journalists as their professional "code of ethics" or the "canons of journalism." The basic codes and canons commonly appear in statements drafted by both professional journalism associations and individual print, broadcast, and online news organizations.

Do our local journalists or reporters adhere to the standards express above? I am sure if you ask them this question, the answer will be yes with a "but", but their news reports are always being screened and censored by their editors before publishing. The editors will then blame someone above them and the whole story will go right to the top for decision before publication. The top echelon sadly will be the voice from the ruling political parties.

As mentioned above Some editors argue that bias is impossible to avoid.. to which I do agree. In our local scene it is call spinning, yes you can spin a little but when you over spin, the news become distorted and looks like all is fine and the bad guys are always the oppositions.

Lately, many people (including the information minister) are trying to spin that we have more media freedom and the government are more open now. Can we really see the freedom and openness, no I do not.

If you read Michelle Yoon posting on "Anwar, the media, and us", no reporters, journalists or editors from the political parties control media dares to publish before their top notch speaks about it.

Next is investigative reports. I hardly read any of the political parties control media goes on investigative mission to dig out the Truth on stories that require further evidence or that feel suspicious. No one dares to ask point blank questions during any press conferences by the country top leaders.

The news bulletins on the local free TV channels especially RTM1 and TV3 are the real propaganda machineries for the government. If there are any bad news (but hot news) linking the leaders, either they are totally black out or a few seconds of greatly spun news.

If our local MSM do not reinvent and follow the Ethics in Journalism, I feel sorry for Oh! Malaysia. MSM is the front line to uplift the image, economy and standard of our country and should be totally free from political intrusion.

For those voters who think that they might have voted wrongly, let me tell you, you are not wrong. March 8, 2008 is history in the making for our country.
We need the change, it must change and it will change.